What happened in 1898

12 entries recorded for 1898, listed by date. That was 128 years ago.

1898 at a glance

Years ago
128 (as of 2026)
Century
19th century
Decade
1890s
Generation born
Lost Generation
Entries here
12
Breakdown
12 historical events

February

  • February 15

    United States Navy

    Historical event

    The United States Navy battleship USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana, Cuba, killing more than 260 people and precipitating the Spanish–American War.

March

June

July

  • July 3

    Pascual Cervera y Topete

    Historical event

    A Spanish squadron, led by Pascual Cervera y Topete, is defeated by an American squadron under William T. Sampson in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.

  • July 7

    William McKinley

    Historical event

    US president William McKinley signed the Newlands Resolution, annexing Hawaii as a territory of the United States.

  • July 25

    Spanish–American War

    Historical event

    Spanish–American War: After more than two months of sea-based bombardment, the United States invaded Puerto Rico.

August

October

  • October 12

    Statue of Austin Blair

    Historical event

    A statue of Austin Blair (pictured) was dedicated in a ceremony that attracted up to 30,000 people to Lansing, Michigan.

November

  • November 3

    Fashoda Incident

    Historical event

    The Fashoda Incident ended with French forces withdrawing after several months of military stalemate with the British in Fashoda (now in South Sudan).

  • November 10

    White supremacy

    Historical event

    White supremacists seized power and massacred black Americans during the Wilmington massacre,(newspaper headline depicted) the only instance of a municipal government being overthrown in United States history.

December

Questions about 1898

What happened in 1898?

This site records 12 entries for 1898, including United States Navy on February 15. They are listed below by date.

How long ago was 1898?

128 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1898 turns 128 this year.

Which century is 1898 in?

1898 falls in the 19th century, in the 1890s.

Which generation was born in 1898?

Lost Generation (1883–1900). Came of age during the First World War.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.